Kent Denver feels inevitable. After losing in the Class 4A title game last year, and on a streak of four title defeats dating back to 2007, this weekend is setting up to be the Sun Devils’ championship breakthrough. No. 1-seeded Kent Denver crushed No. 4 Prospect Ridge Academy in Friday’s Final Four at Denver Coliseum, cruising to an 84-70 victory that puts the Sun Devils on the doorstep of their second state crown and first since 1997. For 32nd-year Sun Devils head coach Todd Schayes, a sixth title appearance is sweet — and no, he’s not thinking about the last four defeats in the big game. Win or lose, he’s keeping Kent Denver’s success in perspective. “You mean do I watch 30-for-30s on (ex-Houston basketball coach) Guy Lewis?” cracked Schayes. “Whether it’s (ex-Bills coach) Marv Levy, or Guy Lewis, it’s never about me. It’s about the kids that I’m coaching. To get there (to the championship) is frickin’ hard, and I soak in every one. “If we’re fortunate enough to win (on Saturday), I’m still going to have to wake up on Sunday and do the dishes, take the dog out.” George Karl addressed the Sun Devils on Thursday, and the inspiration from the former Nuggets coach worked on Friday as they owned every facet in a game where they led for all but 16 seconds. They controlled the paint (60 points to the Miners’ 28). They took care of the basketball (23 Miners turnovers to eight by the Sun Devils). And they capitalized on Prospect Ridge Academy’s mistakes, with 31 points off those Miner turnovers. Kent Denver led by eight points after one quarter, then 16 at half. After the Miners briefly made a push in the third quarter, Kent Denver reasserted itself en route to the 14-point-victory that was not as close as the final score indicated. It was a similar outcome to when the two teams met on Feb. 11 in Metro League play — a 91-72 Sun Devils win in Broomfield. On Friday, Kent Denver’s usual suspects carried it again. Junior forward Caleb Fay had a game-high 26 points, while senior guard Elvis Lloyd added 23 points and coach’s son Gil Schayes (Colorado School of Mines commit) chipped in 13. “When you’ve had the adversity that we had last year in the title game, and in the last three or four weeks we’ve had a bunch of illnesses and injuries — it makes it a lot more fun when you can push through that,” Todd Schayes noted. Kent Denver improved to 24-3. The Sun Devils’ lone losses came to 6A Rangeview and Legend, as well as 3A power Resurrection Christian, which is undefeated and making a deep run in its own state bracket. Resurrection Christian beat Kent Denver 76-61 in last year’s championship, which has served as fuel for the Sun Devils all season. “That definitely motivated us,” said Lloyd, a Hobart College commit. “We don’t want to lose this one. We want to have a different feeling than last year, and that’s what we’ve been working towards.” Lloyd knows the Sun Devils’ status as the Goliath of the 4A bracket doesn’t mean anything until the trophy is in hand. Kent Denver head coach Todd Schayes yells out instruction as Devan Johnson (1) sizes up Josiah Bote (11) of the Prospect Ridge Academy Miners during the second half of their Class 4A Final Four game at the Denver Coliseum on Friday. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) “Coach tells us, ‘You don’t win games on social media, you win them on the court,'” Lloyd said. “So we’re staying focused, we’re not getting big heads, and we know there’s more work left to do.” The Miners, who were appearing in their first Final Four, finished 20-7. Prospect Ridge was led by 18 points by senior Liam Schilling, while sophomore guard Jackson Brandt and freshman Josiah Bote each had 15. The Miners only started significantly cutting into the lead in the final minutes after Kent Denver put its reserves in. Related Articles Preps | Breezy Huff’s career game propels Delta girls basketball into first title game appearance Preps | The top 10 Colorado high school products in men’s March Madness history Preps | CHSAA state basketball tournament: Final Four live coverage, results from Denver Coliseum Preps | Down the line: Mullen girls basketball surges past Mead in final four Preps | Ant Nettles powers Eaglecrest into Class 6A title game in dramatic OT win over Mountain Vista In Saturday’s title, the Sun Devils face the winner of No. 6 Coal Ridge and No. 10 Colorado Academy. It won’t be the last game for the 60-year-old Schayes, who is a longtime sixth grade English and history teacher. “I don’t play golf and I don’t play tennis, so unless I pick up pickleball, I think I’m going to do this a little bit longer,” he said. Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams. ...read more read less